Comedian Jay Phillips doesn’t take the stage armed with a repertoire of crazy characters and personas. He already has enough material just being himself.

“I think everybody likes to follow their own path and be unique in their own way so, when it comes to being a comic, the most important thing is having some truth to what you’re talking about,” Phillips said during a recent phone interview. “I’ll tell you what’s going on inside a quick little window into my life and give you a few laughs along the way.”

Though Phillips is himself in front of audiences, he admits it’s slightly modified version.

“I’m a family man who has four sons, a wife, house, all of it, so I guess if I talked about that stuff at night and lived it during the day, I’d probably end up being depressed all the time,” he said. “So, I try to mix it up a little bit and give myself a little variance so that, during the day, I live one life and, on stage I pseudo-live another one.”

Jay Phillips

A regular face at comedy clubs all over the country, Phillips’ extensive resume also includes television appearances on BET’s “Comic View” and HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” among others.

With the goal of becoming a full time actor, Phillips’ big break came when he was cast in the Will Ferrell big budget basketball comedy, “Semi-Pro.” He later appeared in the horror flick, “Prom Night,” and “Baby Mama” with Tina Fey and Amy Poeller.

Phillips hopes that his professional future includes even more film work.

“Acting and stand up go hand in hand but you don’t have to work as hard,” he said. “If you get like three or four professional acting jobs a year, it’s much better than spending all your time touring all over the country. Plus, you get to spend more time at home.”

Though the married father of four is nowhere near part of the geriatric set, Phillips considers himself one of the comedy oldies and shares his wisdom and experiences on the road with some younger up-and-comers.

Through the mentoring process, Phillips is able to show new comedians how to get a laugh without resulting to gimmicks or clichés.

“I think I’m one of the absolute true comedians of our time because I handle things the old school way,” he said. “I don’t need any props. I don’t need any help from the audience or anything. All I need is a microphone and maybe I’ll surprise you with some of the best comedy you’re able to see live, especially if you haven’t seen a live performance. It’s an absolutely amazing thing.”

With the motto “funny is funny,” Phillips doesn’t play to any particular race or group. Because of his ability to blur the demographic lines, he has often been compared to his idol, the late Richard Pryor, whom he was able to meet while performing at the Mark Twain Awards at the Kennedy Center.

Returning to the Comedy Club at Pechanga weekend, Phillips has been looking forward to bringing his wife back to the Temecula Valley for a fun-filled birthday celebration.

“I come to Pechanga because the golf course right next door is incredible and I’ve been going out to the range every day just to prepare to play Journey when I came back there,” Phillips said. “It’s a great place to spend the weekend with my wife and tell some jokes in the meantime. It really is just the perfect place for a getaway and it’s only an hour or so from our house.”

When he comes to Pechanga, Phillips hopes that his fans, as well as those new to the comedy club, will enjoy his years of experience and humorous expertise. But, for those who may be wavering, he’s happy to list his qualifications.

“I don’t think you want to miss an opportunity to catch one of the veterans,” Phillips said. “I have a very steady resume of work which speaks for itself. I have hours of material and I’ve done well-reviewed shows all over the country. I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed and, when you walk out of the theater, you won’t be able to name two other comics you’ve seen on stage live that were better than my show.”